Students who live in the Boulder Valley School District are enrolled in districts as far-flung as tiny Julesburg at the northeastern tip of the state, Denver and Douglas County.

At least in the case of Julesburg, they're not actually traveling three hours to attend the town's two small schools. Instead, they're enrolled in a national online school that's overseen by the Julesburg school district.

Thanks to Colorado's liberal school choice law, students can enroll at any public school in the state where there's space. And, thanks to a boom in online schools and charter schools, distance isn't necessarily a determining factor in picking a school.

The result is an increase statewide in the number of students open enrolling outside their home district. Last school year, 8 percent of the state's students enrolled in an out-of-district school.

As is the case in Julesburg, some districts have contracted with online schools as a way to raise revenue, benefiting their brick-and-mortar schools.

Other students are leaving their home districts to attend charter schools, both those operated by school districts and the state's Charter School Institute. The Charter School Institute is the fastest growing "district" in the state, with enrollment up by 32 percent last school year. Statewide, the growth rate was 1.3 percent.

Generally, districts with wealthier populations and highly rated schools -- Boulder Valley included -- tend to gain students. Others lose both students and the state revenue that comes with them.

Districts also have complained to the state about online schools heavily recruiting students at the start of the school year, allowing them to be counted in the official October count that determines school funding.

Many return later in the year to their regular district schools, school districts have said, with those schools required to educate them without the benefit of the state funding. Concerns about dismal student achievement at some online schools also have been raised.

Boulder Valley in 2011, the most recent year available for statewide data, had a net gain of 1,124 students through open enrollment. The neighboring St. Vrain Valley School district had a net loss of 621 students.

Boulder Valley gains more students than it loses

This school year, about 2,150 students came to Boulder Valley from outside the district, a number that's held steady for about three years and has gradually increased from the 1,740 in 2004.

Boulder Valley saw fewer out-of-district students enroll in kindergarten this year, but more at the high school level. Assistant Superintendent Sandy Ripplinger said it's not that demand is down at the elementary level. Instead, she said, out-of-district enrollment usually varies based on how many sports are available.

For a district like Boulder Valley, where enrollment is stable, the extra students from other districts provide a small budget boost, given that funding in Colorado is largely based on enrollment.

Boulder Valley Superintendent Bruce Messinger said the district doesn't actively recruit students from other places, focusing mainly on managing open enrollment to avoid overcrowding a school or program. But, he said, the district does see some benefit.

"If we have open seats we're paying for anyway, why not have them filled," he said.

When students leave Boulder Valley for other school districts, their top destinations include Adams 12, St. Vrain Valley and Jefferson County schools.

It's not the brick-and-mortar neighborhood schools in Adams 12, which generally earn lower test scores than Boulder Valley schools, that are attracting most of those students.

Instead, it's the Colorado Virtual Online Academy, the state's largest online school. Adams 12 also added several specialty charter schools in recent years, including one for gifted students that's also a destination for Boulder Valley students.

Another five Boulder Valley students last school year attended Connections Academy, an online school authorized by Mapleton Public Schools.

Denise Cook, who lives off Peak to Peak Highway near Ward, said she enrolled her fourth-grade son, Jesse, at Connections Academy in the fall because they're trying to sell their house and move to Steamboat Springs. An online program, she said, will avoid a difficult school transition if they can move mid-year.

She said she intended the online school to be a temporary solution, but it's worked out so well she's planning to keep Jesse there for the rest of his elementary school years.

The program's rich curriculum and flexibility -- allowing him to move ahead in math and science spend more time on skills like writing -- are the main advantages, she said.

She also likes that he no longer needs to wake up at 6 a.m. to make the long drive to his former Boulder private school and that, when there's a snowstorm, school is still on. Social interactions are fulfilled with sports, Cub Scouts and online chats and clubs set up through Connections Academy.

"It's worked out so well," she said. "We've been very happy."

Boulder Valley makes changes to keep students

Boulder Valley has made changes in recent years in a bid to keep more of its students.

Last school year, 185 Boulder Valley students enrolled in the Aurora School District. Those students attended a part-time program for homeschoolers located in Boulder Valley, but administered through Aurora.

The state recently directed Aurora to discontinue its homeschool program in other districts, if those districts wanted to open their own programs. Boulder Valley did, starting the Explore program in the fall.

To compete with the proliferation of online programs, the district in 2010 also started its own version, called Boulder Universal, for grades six through 12. Boulder Universal enrolls about 117 students.

The largest number of out-of-district students in Boulder Valley -- 746 this school year -- come from St. Vrain Valley. Another 444 open enroll here from the Northglenn/Thornton school district, while 387 come from the Adams County 14 School District.

Once they enroll, the out-of-district students go to schools across Boulder Valley.

Schools with the highest number of out-of-district enrollments include Broomfield High, Fairview High and Lafayette's Peak to Peak Charter School.

Another school that benefits from out-of-district enrollment is Boulder Prep, an alternative charter school in Gunbarrel where about half the 117 students are from outside Boulder Valley.

Some students moved out-of-district, but wanted to stay at Boulder Prep. Others enrolled from other districts after hearing about the school from friends. The school's location off the Diagonal Highway also makes it a convenient choice for St. Vrain Valley students who live in Niwot and south Longmont.

Boulder Prep benefits from out-of-district enrollment

Lili Adeli, Boulder Prep's business manager, said the ability to draw students from several school districts is important, giving more students who don't fit in at a traditional high school the opportunity to graduate.

She said the school, which fundraises to keep class sizes low, also likely couldn't afford to operate in other nearby districts -- Boulder Valley, thanks to tax increases, is better funded.

Senior Amanda Sherman, who lives in Longmont, said Boulder Prep is a quick 10-minute drive. She enrolled as a sophomore at Boulder Prep after meeting with a counselor at her home high school and learning that she didn't have enough credits to graduate on time.

She said she was initially upset about switching to Boulder Prep, instead hoping to go to an alternative school in Longmont where she had friends. A week at Boulder Prep changed her mind, she said.

"Everyone just welcomes you," she said.

At Boulder High School, 19 out-of-district students enrolled last school year.

Now a senior, Jennifer Caplis switched to Boulder High last year from Westminster with her younger sister because her sister "wanted to start new." The two drive 25 minutes each way to and from school. Before, they attended a small charter school in Adams 12 with limited class options.

"It was quite a transition, but I'm really glad that I came here," she said. "There's a lot of variety here."

Since she plans to attend the University of Colorado after graduation, she said she also liked the opportunity to "get a feel for Boulder."

The only downside, she said, is it takes a while to "build that solid group of friends to hang out with."

Also at Boulder High is junior Erin McLaughlin, who lives in southwest Longmont. She went to a private middle school, Sacred Heart in Boulder, and didn't know anyone going to her home high school.

"I liked having the choice," she said. "Boulder offers a range of different opportunities."

She said she knew several other students at Boulder High and liked the school's classes and the track program, making the trade-off for the longer drive time worth it.

"It was a good balance between academics and sports," she said. "I love it."

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